Luau

The beach was decorated with a tropical theme, with large, broad mats made from palm tree leaves covering the sand near the soup and one to create a dance floor. There were tiki totems and torches here and there, but they did not appear to have any organizational strategy. Surrounding the large cauldron were four long tables filled with a mouth-watering variety of foods for the festivities.

Mayor Lewis, donning an identical to his usual but clearly new cap on his head, called to the farmer. "This is our newest resident," the mustached man explained to a man clad in a purple suit that seemed ill-fitted for a hot summer day. "Violet here is the granddaughter of some good friends of mine who owned that big farm west of town. They passed some years ago and she moved in to follow in their footsteps!" he explained, with a strangely proud tone in his voice.

Sure, her grandparents knew Lewis, but Violet did not recall them being particularly good friends. Perhaps he was just being polite in the company of an outsider. "It's nice to meet you, sir…" the young woman told the newcomer cautiously.

"Same to you, young lady," the portly man replied, though he did not extend his arm for a handshake. Lewis leaned in slightly and whispered. "The governor's here for his annual visit. If you brought something for the potluck, make sure and add it to the soup cauldron."

Violet beamed, "Don't you worry. I brought a nice hot pepper."

The Mayor's face fell and if not for the wax on the tips of his mustache, the farmer was sure Lewis' facial hair would have drooped as well. "Oh, is that all?" he replied with a sigh. "I was hoping for something a little more… substantial."

Violet felt a mixture of shame and frustration. As much as she had fallen into a routine, the young woman knew she was still new to farming. What did the Mayor honestly expect, an item worth of a three-star Michelin restaurant? It was not as if Violet had advanced notice in any real meaning of the word. Had she known that there was a communal soup to which she would be expected to contribute a few weeks ago and if she knew the tastes of the townspeople better, Violet could have better prepared. "I see…" she replied sulkily before making a quick escape toward the buffet. Maybe some food from the buffet would cheer her up.

Shane felt the bulge of the purple shorts in his jacket pocket and self-consciously wondered if others noticed he was acting shifty. Jas had been so giddy at the idea, Shane just hoped she could keep her mouth shut when the moment finally came to give Lewis a taste of his own… well, himself.

It was too hot for long sleeves anyway, Shane realized. He was sweating as it was and keeping on his Joja Mart jacket for no reason would only look more suspicious. Maybe he could just take off the zip-up and stow it away under one of the buffet tables until it was time to give Lewis his bowl of soup. No sense in wasting the entire cauldron of good food that Aunt Marnie had worked so hard to prepare, after all.

Sure enough, while there were several containers hidden under the table, there was some space to spare. Shane tossed his jacket, along with the purple shorts, beneath the egg-blue tablecloth and looked around to make sure no one had seen him. Satisfied, the chicken farmer smiled to himself as he filled his plate with appetizers.

Gus caught his eyes and gave a chuckle at the sight of Shane's haul. "A heaping serving of everything!" he teased, his cheeks rosy with the heat of the day. "I'll take that as a compliment, Shane."

"I can resist your hot pepper chutney, Gus…" the stubbly man admitted, taking a bite of the gelatinous fare. Shane closed his eyes for a moment to better enjoy the heat in his mouth. "Wow... you don't get the good stuff like this in the big city..." Shane glanced down at his plate to grab another cracker to scoop the delicious goo when he found a chunk of it missing. Instead, he heard a munching sound beside him. Turning his head, he found Emily hovering nearby, chewing the stolen morsel in her mouth.

Once she finished, the barkeep had to add her own praises for her boss. "Oh, that is excellent!" Emily cooed in awe. "Oh, Gus! You've really outdone yourself this year."

The proprietor of The Stardrop Saloon twisted the end of his upturned mustache, nodding thoughtfully. "I included a special ingredient this year, it's really improved the depth of the flavor," he mused aloud. He looked to his part-time employee. "Do you think we should offer it on the menu at the saloon?"

"I'd order it!" Shane proclaimed, guarding his food from thieves a bit more carefully this time around.

Emily, meanwhile, tapped her finger on her chin ponderously. "If it's around all the time, then it's not as much of a treat at the Luau each year..." she said slowly. "Maybe only on certain days?"

Gus considered it from a businessperson's perspective. "Hm… Gotta keep a limited supply so there's always a demand, I suppose…" Shane found himself lost in the sauce for a moment as the other two continued their discussion of the menu at the local bar. When he finished, he realized a new person had joined their conversation.

"Oh, my gosh, Gus. You have to give me this recipe…" Violet begged, covering her mouth full of chutney as she spoke.

The jolly man smirked, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Oh, perhaps we could come to an arrangement if you want to make a deal with some farm-fresh ingredients sold directly to The Stardrop Saloon. Cut out the middle man and those price hikes, eh?"

A grin flashed across the young woman's face. "I can't keep up with all the scandalously good food, drink, and dancing in this tiny town!" Violet feigned offense, clutching at imaginary pearls around her neck. "And now you want to add deplorable under-the-table dealings in produce, Gus?"

Gus hooted with laughter, "Well, lucky you this Pelican Town is no Bomont, even if we do have some old-fashioned ideas lingering about in…" the barkeep stole a look toward Mayor Lewis before adding, "more established members of the community."

Gus' "Footloose" reference went straight over Shane's head, but the pepper-lover did catch on to Gus' implication that he was not a fan of Lewis. Huh. Maybe even if he did get caught trying to drop the special ingredient in the Mayor's bowl, there might be more neighbors who would let it slide than he originally thought.

"Aren't you gonna dress for the beach, fam?" Sam asked the brooding young man sitting at his computer desk, his fingers typing and erasing a text message repeatedly as he changed his mind or chickened out.

"I hate swimming," Sebastian reminded his best friend. If he was not going to go into the water, what was the point of wearing different clothes? But the blond seemed to ignore him as he crammed in as many Joja Colas into the cooler that he possibly could.

Sam shot the dark-haired man a look, his green eyes bright. "Sure, but that doesn't mean that you won't be tempted to join us this year," he pointed out. "Or are you gonna sit under an umbrella and watch all the beautiful ladies from afar?" Sam teased, waggling his eyebrows theatrically. The blond turned back to the cooler and sat on it, satisfied when it closed enough for him to secure the latch. He smiled triumphantly as the lid stayed secure once he removed his body weight. "Besides, I have a feeling this is going to be the best Luau ever!"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Why, because you aren't single anymore?"

A chuckle escaped Sam's lips. "Well, there is that fam," he admitted with a smug smile. Sebastian could tell from the goofy expression on his friend's face that something happened between Sam and Abigail last night. Not that he was going to ask for details, but Sebastian supposed it was good to see his friend so obnoxiously happy. Sam continued, "But the whole town's energy is different this year, ya know?"

The programmer slouched in his chair. "I… guess that's true," he confessed, avoiding Sam's gaze. His face flushed pink as he thought of what happened the night before. Lots of things different this year.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sam snatched Sebastian's phone right out of his lap. "Now, let's see the message you've been drafting this whole time, eh?"

Sebastian's dark eyes widened in a panic. "No, don't!" he ordered, trying to grab the electronic device away from the thief.

Sam, being slightly taller, kept Sebastian at arm's length and stretched his other arm out the opposite way to hold hoodie-clad man's phone. "Sorry things got so weird last night…" the blond read. "I probably crossed a line. I hope you aren't too mad at me."

The owner of the phone deflated with each word that Sam read, slowly sinking back into his chair. A toothy grin appeared on Sam's face as he returned the phone. "So…" the blond began in a sing-song voice, nudging Sebastian with his elbow. "What happened between you and Violet after we left last night?"

"You're worse than our moms," Sebastian grumbled, trying to shame his friend for being such a gossip.

The skater seemed unaffected by the accusation and sat on his bed, watching Sebastian expectantly. "C'mon," he urged Sebastian, "Maybe I can draw upon my fountain of knowledge for wooing the ladies to help you out."

"Didn't Abigail make the first move?"

"Details, my troubled friend," Sam replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. He lay back on his bed, holding his old Game Boy aloft to start up a game so that Sebastian might feel more comfortable talking about things. Like lots of prey animals, Sebastian did not like being looked at head-on for too long. "Now c'mon, out with it!"

Sebastian hesitated, unsure of how to describe the events that occurred. "We fought over the last sushi roll and - ugh - things got a little… physical, I guess?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Like she literally sat on me to try to keep me from stealing it and when I got free, I figured the best way to pin her down was to get her on her back on the floor and by sitting across her waist…" The dark-haired man could tell Sam was eating this up. In hindsight, Sebastian realized he had not been thinking at the time, but saying it aloud made things even worse. "Anyway… I think she was into it?"

Sam did his best to keep his mouth shut, but Sebastian could tell the blond was dying to ask questions or make commentary. "How so, fam?" the skater questioned calmly, doing his best to focus on the little pixelated Mario on his screen.

The programmer's face went as red as the lobster that he and Violet boiled the night before. "She uh… made a - a noise when my face got closer to hers, I think," Sebastian stumbled upon his words. "I-I'm not really sure what about it triggered that reaction." He remembered the way her pupils were dilated, making her deep blue eyes appear larger somehow. Violet's lips looked so soft and inviting, and there was something about the way they struggled against one another for control - of the sushi, of course - that made his thoughts flow directly into the gutter. Sebastian cleared his throat, "Either way, I ducked out of there really quickly afterward."

Sam shot upward into a seated position, throwing his Game Boy aside. "You did WHAT?" the blond demanded, clearly scandalized that his friend missed a golden opportunity. "Sebby! You're killing me, man," the green-eyed man groaned.

Sebastian held up his arms defensively, though he was not sure what he expected Sam to do. "I-I didn't want to do anything I'd regret!" he fumbled to explain. "Violet said she needed some time the night before the Flower Dance!"

The skater held up a finger, "One, you could have really embarrassed Violet by leaving like she had the plague," he informed the clueless wonder across the room, shaking his head. Sam stood up and approached his friend, draping his arm around Sebastian's shoulders. "Secondly, fam! If you two had talked about it right then and there, you might have found out where Violet stood - or laid - on the subject." He winked suggestively. "Who knows?" Sam added, lifting his shoulders quizzically. "Maybe she just needed a couple weeks to sort it all out and you two could have had some fun?"

"I mean, I still had fun hanging out…" Sebastian protested, though the idea that he could have upset Violet by ditching her again made a lump appear in the pit of his stomach. Had he ruined everything?

"Quit stalling!" the blond insisted. Releasing Sebastian, the town's number one extrovert rummaged through the bag the single man brought. Sam tossed a pair of swim trunks toward his embarrassed friend. "Now get your suit on! We've got a Luau to liven up!"

Passing the dance floor to the western edge of the beach, which was already claimed by Demetrius and Robin, the children, and Emily, Violet spied a sales booth. Sure enough, it was manned by none other than Pierre. Caroline stood close-by, clearly annoyed that her husband was not taking the day off to simply enjoy the festivities with the rest of the villagers.

The bespectacled salesman greeted his potential customer with a wide, winning grin. "Good day to you, farmer Violet!" Pierre called from behind his booth. "Lovely day for a Luau, isn't it?"

Violet nodded in agreement, as she glanced over what Pierre had to offer. Her deep blue eyes widened in excitement when she spied a flash of bright yellow. "Is that a Paopu?!" the young woman asked excitedly, gesturing to the starfruit he had displayed.

Pierre had no idea the farmer was referencing a beloved Disney/Final Fantasy cross-over game but did his best to answer the question. "It's a starfruit, farmer Violet. Are you not growing any this summer?"

The pastel-haired woman thought for a moment. Her jaw dropped. "You mean to tell me that the seed packet Gunther gave me was for one of these?!" Violet got the seed from the museum's curator after the gang explored the mines, but she had completely forgotten about it until now, but recognized the packet on the signage Pierre used. The seed was probably in a chest somewhere, the farmer thought to herself in annoyance. Hopefully, she would still have time left in the season to plant and nurture it to full maturity.

Leaning on the counter of his booth, Pierre pitched the sale. "Well, I happen to know for a fact that if you put a starfruit in the soup, it's guaranteed to receive a compliment from the Governor." He popped the collar of his earth-toned button-down, "Not to mention it would certainly make you more popular among the rest of the town for providing such a rare ingredient."

While Violet was still new to farming, she knew that the starfruit itself was not an especially magnificent specimen. As much as she hated to admit it, if Mayor Lewis had been so underwhelmed by the hot pepper she intended to contribute, maybe there was some truth in Pierre's words.

"How can you be so sure?" Violet inquired, testing the validity of the shopkeeper's statement.

The brunet grinned, knowing that he stood a chance to make a big profit today and prove to his wife that manning the booth during a village festival was worth it all along. "Well, Lewis always talks about the time your grandparents brought a starfruit to the Luau and how the Governor sang his praises for that soup for years after that." He shrugged, "So while I can't say for sure if this particular starfruit is the same quality as the one Lewis and the Governor recall so fondly, the starfruit has a history of success…"

Violet pondered this for a moment. The three-thousand gold price was steep for a single piece of produce. If only she had not forgotten about the seed, then perhaps she would not be in this predicament in the first place. But, on the other hand, she did want the other villagers to like her and she had not exactly had time to make friends with everyone in town just yet. Contributing a starfruit to the communal soup could be a great way to make a positive impression on the townsfolk overall.

Then there was another facet to the dilemma that swayed Violet toward the purchase. Even if it was not a "real" Paopu, it was the actual food the fictitious fruit was based upon. Violet had her own reasons to want to acquire one of the bright star-shaped fruits if it could bring about luck in her personal relationships. The young woman did a lot of thinking on her way to the beach today. If she managed to get Sebastian alone to talk about last night like she hoped, Violet was going to need all the luck she could get.

Sighing heavily, Violet produced the funds from her bag. "I'll take it," she notified Pierre, who all but squealed in delight.

"Thank you for your business, Violet," the bespectacled man replied in a sing-song voice, collecting the payment in one hand, and handing off the expensive fruit to its new owner with the other. His grin only widened as he dismissed his one and only customer that day, "Enjoy your first Pelican Town Luau!"

Evelyn closed her misty grey eyes, feeling the spray of the sea on her wrinkled face as she reflected fondly on her memories. "Do you remember how we went skinny dipping with Buck off that pier after the Luau back in '57?" she giggled quietly, poking her husband's shoulder to get his attention.

The bald man gave a rare chuckle and his weathered skin stretched back away from his mouth as he smiled. "If my memory serves me right, we had to hide under the docks for a while when your daddy came out with his shotgun looking for you," he reminisced, giving his wife a look. "You nearly got us all caught because you couldn't stop giggling."

Granny grinned demurely behind her bony hand. "Well, I had the two most handsome young men in town naked as the day they were born treading water within arms' reach of me," she replied coyly, gently petting George's head wistfully. "You couldn't expect a young lady to keep her composure…"

Her husband heaved a sigh. "It's odd looking back on those days now," George admitted with a frown. "Herschel died far too young, but… recalling those old memories doesn't hurt as much as it used to."

Evelyn bobbed her head knowingly in agreement. "There's no shame in that, George. Time heals all wounds." She beamed and squeezed her husband's hand. "And we've had a lot of time since then!"

"I can't remember half of it," the old man replied jokingly. "Let alone what I ate for breakfast yesterday."

"You ate oatmeal with raisins, dear," Evelyn reminded her spouse.

He scoffed. "Those little lumps were raisins?" George asked quizzically. "No wonder it tasted different than usual."

"I wish Clara were here…" she whispered softly, so that not even George could hear her over the tide. There was a long silence between the old couple as they watched the incoming in quiet contemplation, tuning out the sounds of the others around them, and simply enjoying each other's company.

As the sea breeze cooled his sun-spotted face from the sun's hot rays, George glanced up at his wife. Evelyn looked as beautiful as the first day they met and for a moment, the elderly man could have sworn they were the only two people in the world.

Alex could not wipe the grin off his face and he nibbled a juicy piece of meat free from his kebab. "I've been dreaming of these babies ever since Summer started," he informed Haley through his mouthful.

The blonde rolled her bright blue eyes behind her over-sized sunglasses. "Ugh, just keep it in your mouth, Alex," she replied in disgust, averting her gaze. She looked around to avoid looking at him chewing and to Alex's surprise Haley did a double-take toward the beach entrance. "Oh my gosh, who is that hottie?" she demanded to know, lowering her shades to better view the specimen in question.

Turning, Alex saw a tall man with sandy-blond hair in a neat, well-tailored Hawaiian shirt that showed off his lean physique. The dimple in his chin gave him a more mature look, despite the fact that the rest of his face looked young. He wore dark, reflective sunglasses, which he promptly removed and tucked away on the top of his head to reveal striking green eyes.

"I dunno," he told his companion. "I've never seen him around before…" The mystery man had a presence about him that Alex could not ignore and the athlete found himself staring for longer than he intended.

Haley smiled, running her fingers through her hair like a comb to tame the strands tousled by the wind. "I'm going to go talk to him," she announced, without waiting for Alex to respond.

This was the first time Haley had ditched Alex so suddenly for a guy. It threw Alex for a loop as he watched the blonde approach the newcomer with a casual grace only a former prom queen could achieve. The jock heard Haley's laugh - that convincing, yet fake way she did when she wanted to make a good impression.

It was then the man noticed Alex. The next thing the spiky-haired man knew, he blinked and the blond stood before him, hand outstretched to introduce himself. "Zach," the guy stated simply.

Putting down his empty kebab stick, Alex suddenly became self-conscious that he might have some grease on his hand. It was too late now, his hand was already clasped in Zach's. The dude had a good, firm handshake, he noticed. "Alex," the brunet replied with a cocky smirk, making sure to squeeze a little harder than he would normally in response. Zach could take it, right?

The man's thick eyebrows rose along with the corners of his mouth. "Nice grip you've got there," Zach commented, winking at Alex. The stranger's words were so unexpected, the aspiring professional athlete flustered. Alex even jumped slightly when he realized Haley stood beside them.

The blond acknowledged the woman with a charming grin. "Haley, I'm insulted!" he indicated in a low voice, stealing a glance at the young woman. "You didn't tell me that you and your boyfriend here were the best-looking people in town!"

Haley quickly corrected him. "Alex isn't my boyfriend," she informed the stranger with a light touch to his shoulder. Alex could tell that his friend was using it as an excuse to feel up the newcomer's lean musculature. "We've just been friends forever," Haley said, rolling her cerulean eyes. "So, before you ran off to meet Alex here, you were telling me a bit about yourself, Zach," Haley reminded the blond. "What brings you to Pelican Town? I've never seen you around here before and I doubt our little Luau is all that exciting to an outsider."

Zach expelled his breath in a huff, sliding his shades back over his eyes as he scanned the beach, as if looking for someone in particular. "My mother wanted me to check up on my baby sister and drag her back to the big city kicking and screaming," he explained with exasperation. "But I have no desire to be the fun police and it's none of my damn business if she wants to spend her life in a tiny coastal hamlet." He colorfully-clad man tilted his head toward the Governor. "Secondly," he continued, "I have business with the Governor if I can steal him away from old man Lewis."

Alex and Haley exchanged knowing looks. "So I guess that means you're the farm girl's older bro?" the jock deduced from the stranger's words.

The blond exhaled deeply as he caught sight of his sister talking to some artsy-looking people on the far side of the beach. Who wore suspenders without a proper suit jacket? The other one looked like Fabio and Lestat's love child. Violet had always been so eccentric in her choice of company. "Unfortunately, yes, that little gremlin is my sister."

"I can't believe you two are related," Haley added, aghast how Violet dared keep her hot older brother a secret from her. Sure, they were not the best of friends, but that was something the farmer should have mentioned! "I sometimes wonder if my sister is adopted, we're so different." The woman pointed her older sibling out from the small group of dancing party-goers. Emily stood at the center of the palm mat twisting her limbs and spinning around in a fluid, yet seemingly random manner. Shane shuffled his feet to the music beside her, trying desperately to neither be hit by Emily's flailing limbs nor orbit too far from his partner.

Zach inhaled sharply through his teeth. "I see what you mean, Haley," he admitted with a chuckle. He took her hand and gestured to the rest of her with his other. "There's always one sibling who gets all the pretty genes of the family, am I right?"

Haley blushed and pushed Zach playfully. "Oh, stop!" she demanded half-heartedly. "I can see you got all the luck on your end, too."

Popping the collar on his sky-blue Hawaiian shirt, Zach smirked. "Successfully career, charismatic, and a bod that just won't quit - I got them all." He snickered, "Poor, Vi, there was nothing good left for her…"

Alex's brows furrowed and Haley caught on. "Zach's a lawyer in NuNu City, Alex!" Her eyes lit up as she uttered the words of the city in which she so longed to reside.

The brunet tried to play it cool. "A big shot, huh?" He tugged at his white cotton "Sun's out, guns out" tank top, casually showing off his muscles. "But I'll be more famous than you one day."

This bold statement intrigued the lawyer. "Oh, yeah?" His shamrock-colored eyes scrutinized the jock. "You're too hydrated to be a bodybuilder, so I can tell those muscles of yours aren't just for show. But they've gotta be for a sport of some kind," he observed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Judging by your tan, I'd say an outdoor one."

Alex nodded in confirmation, but let the aviator-wearer continue without any further input. "Not built in the shoulders enough for a swimmer. Too bulky for a straight-up runner, though…" The blond tapped the cleft in his chin. "So soccer and cross-country aren't your thing." Zach went down his list of deductions. "Rugby would pose too much risk scarring that pretty face of yours, golf is too mind-numbingly dull, and you're not quite tall enough for basketball." The blond smiled, "Which means you're aiming to play professional gridball.

"Wow, you're good at this!" Haley said in awe. "Do me next!" she insisted, wanting Zach to guess her desired occupation. But the man decided to mess around instead.

"There is plenty of me to go around, blondie" the sandy-haired blond assured her teasingly, noting Alex's laughter at the look on Haley's face.

Haley's face flushed as she frowned, her eyebrows knitting in anger. "I changed my mind," she declared. "I'm not a believer in the 'loveable asshole' type, thanks." The blonde backed away from the others and made a retreat toward the tide pool on the opposite end of the beach.

"Hm…" Zach mused aloud. "I misjudged and made a costly mistake, it seems." His emerald eyes glanced at Alex. "Do you think she'll forgive me?"

The tanned man shrugged. "Haley's been really moody since the Flower Dance," he stated flippantly. "Maru asked me to be her partner and Haley got mad that I accepted or something, I don't know."

"Sounds like Haley is a little jealous the most eligible bachelor in town was taken in a complete blindside," Zach chuckled, unbuttoning the uppermost two on his shirt. Alex figured he must be getting hot from standing in the direct sun so long.

It took the brunet a moment to realize that Zach had assumed he and Maru were dating. Alex should not have been surprised by the assumption, he supposed. The guy did not know everyone in town. "Oh, Maru's not my girlfriend, either. She's my personal trainer and like - the smartest person I know!"

Zach nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, best not to mix business with pleasure," he agreed. "That leads to all sorts of grey areas - and that's where there's room to make my clients a lot of money!" he chuckled. He paused before changing the subject slightly. "I am highly interested in meeting this trainer of yours, however…"

The spiky-haired brunet blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh – Sure, dude." He bobbed his head in the direction of the fire pit on the other side of the beach. "Looks like she's over there, c'mon."